


Primordial gems

by Epicmosan1



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Gen, Lots of OCs - Freeform, Primordial AU, There will be other characters I promise, just gotta get there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-10-28 10:55:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20777405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epicmosan1/pseuds/Epicmosan1
Summary: Crash-landed, lost, and without any knowledge of their life before the crash, Rubik finds their life being thrown for a loop.  So many questions, all the time in the world to answer them.  Who are they?  Where are they?  Why do they keep thinking in "They?"  Are there any others like them?  The only way to know is to search.





	1. Chapter 1

The forests outside Heronville were usually calm, as most people in the small town rarely visited. Trails that had been walked were grown over, vegetation had taken over any bits of trash left discarded on the ground, and the plant life was thick and dense in most places. The few places where it wasn't, animals typically settled there, grazing on the short grass and sparse shrubs. Night had fallen over the town, and all was silent. That was, until a large meteor streaked across the sky, fire trailing it as it flew. Few saw it, but those who did would later say it was like a phoenix, constantly burning but never going out. It passed over the small town, into the woods, and slammed down in a small clearing. Nearby animals scurried away in fear, birds scattered into the air, and several bugs close to the impact were simply vaporized by the intense heat. The meteor smoldered, sparks occasionally flying off, until finally the meteor cracked horizontally around it's center, and slowly creaked open. Inside, a figure lay, disoriented from the crash. They rose, rubbing their head and groaning. They slowly lifted themselves out of their fallen craft, glancing around. Despite no one being around, they opened their mouth and spoke in a slow, raspy voice.

"Where....am I?" It spoke, it's voice surprising itself. Had it always talked like this? Something felt off.

How did it get here? Despite having very little knowledge on their current situation, words and phrases bubbled into their head. Wherever they were, they needed to make sure it was safe. What was the word? Secure. they needed to secure their surroundings. Working as if on autopilot, they began to investigate around the crash site for dangers. The ship was still smoking, so they wrote that off for now. Best to deal with it when it was less likely to explode on them. Many small objects littered the field they were in, all of them most likely not coming from the ship. a few cylindrical metallic objects, a rectangle of something that tore in their hands, and a few charred remains of something. Nothing seemed salvageable or dangerous, until the figure tripped over something jutting out of the ground. Upon locating the object, they worked quickly to begin removing the object from the ground, finally pulling it out. The object just barely fit in the figure's hand, and was a cube made of several other smaller cubes. Each smaller cube's side was colored, and the figure totaled up 6 unique colors: Red, blue, orange, yellow, green, and white. As the figure fiddled with it, they discovered that with a bit of force, each side turned, moving the colored sides around. What strange device is this? the figure thought, continuing to rotate the sides. The sound of the cubes clicking together filled the air as the figure worked at it. Was it some sort of lock box? How did one open it? The colors were faded, but one one of the white cubes was a word. The figure examined it closely, the gears in their brain turning and translating the word.

"Rubik." the figure spoke. A small smile crept across the figure's face.

they weren't sure, but that...felt like a name? Yes, that was most certainly a name. Was it theirs? The figure stared off, repeating the word a few times. They liked the sound of it. Rubik. That had to have been their name, right? No one was there to tell them otherwise, and considering the fact they didn't know how long they'd been in the downed ship, so I'd make sense their identifying marker would be this faded, right? Hands flew across the cube, turning the sides over and over again, and when the newly christened "Rubik" looked up, a bright yellow orb was beginning to rise off in the distance. What were those called on planets? Suns? That seemed right. The sun was rising, so it must be...morning? Yes, it was morning on this strange new planet. Rubik stood, still holding the cube in their hands, studying the land around them now that they could see. Lots of green and brown, they must be in some sort of forest. How did they know that? Questions for later. For now, salvage what they could. The ship was no longer smoking, so they got to work on scrapping what they could. As they looked over the broken interior, they felt pain growing in their head. So many buttons and dials, where to start? They began to press random buttons, but nothing seemed to be happening. After a few more presses, a hatch sluggishly opened.

Inside, a green medium-sized rod lay. About half way up, it split into two prongs, then continued upward. A small green oval floated just above the top of the rod. Electricity occasionally crackled between the two sides, but otherwise seemed ineffective as a weapon. Rubik took it anyway, because hey, if it was in some sort of compartment, it must've been important, right? After collecting the rod, and a few more button presses, Rubik came to the conclusion that they'd found all there was to find, which wasn't much. A few broken devices that fell out of another hatch, some sort of diamond-shaped device that still functioned, and some sort of satchel with no opening. Despite this, when Rubik attempted to put the color cube in it, it went right through the top of the satchel. When Rubik attempted to retrieve the cube, their hand went through the top of the satchel, and they easily grabbed onto the cube and pulled it out. Whatever technology this was, it was amazing! Rubik tossed all the items they'd collected into the satchel except for the diamond, threw the satchel over their shoulder, and began fiddling with the device. The device was small, fitting easily in the palm of Rubik's hand. several buttons were set into the face of the diamond, and when Rubik pressed the top button, a image was projected in the air above the diamond, displaying several dots. In the center of the image was a triangle, and as Rubik moved around, the triangle rotated and moved around as well. 

_Must be some sort of map._ Rubik thought to themselves. _Wonder what the dots mean?_ With not much else to do, Rubik decided to head in the direction of the closest dot, seemingly just outside of the forest. Rubik made a beeline for the dot, but before they got far they were tackled to the ground and sent rolling in the dirt. Rubik punched and kicked, connecting with something soft then something sharp. They eventually broke free from the snarling mass, and scrambled to their feet. Against a nearby tree was a creature that made Rubik question what the inhabitants of this planet looked like.

The creature was large, and covered in bright red fur. Large paws were armed with sharp claws, and a muzzle filled with teeth snapped and slobbered. Large spines ran down the creature's back, and a long thin tail ended in a large spiked ball. in the place of eyes was a large, dark red gem. Rubik found that odd, as despite not having eyes, the creature obviously knew where Rubik was. Righting itself, the creature turned and growled at Rubik, then throwing itself at Rubik again, claws bared. Rubik ducked and dodge-rolled to the side, quickly righting themselves. Before the creature lunged again, Rubik frantically dug around in their satchel, eventually grasping the rod. They pulled it out, frantically running a finger over the handle, looking for a way to turn it on. The creature lunged again, right as Rubik's finger flicked a switch. The rod extended, electricity loudly sparking, and Rubik swung it in front of him. Stuck mid-jump, the creature helplessly flew into the arc of the swing. With a loud crackle and a *Poof,* the creature vanished in a puff of smoke. When it cleared, the only thing remaining was the gem embedded in the creature's face. Rubik stared at the gem, cylindrical in shape. Rubik hesitantly reached down and picked up the gem. Rubik examined it, finding it to be faultless. Was this planet inhabited by creatures like these? Rubik didn't think so. They didn't want to leave the gem here, so Rubik slipped the gem into the satchel. They retrieved their scanner, and continued along the path. As they walked, questions started to pop into their head.

_How did we get here? Wha-What do I mean by "we?" Who's "we?" Aren't I my own person? What is going on here? WHY am I here? _Rubik pressed a hand against their head, trying to push those thoughts out of their head. No reason to worry about things they couldn't answer at the moment. All that mattered was getting to the dot. Finally, after walking for what felt like hours, They emerged from the forest, and just barely avoided stepping over the edge of the cliff. Down below, a small town was nestled in a valley of sorts. From their vantage point, Rubik could read a sign just off the road leading into town. 

"Heronville." Rubik spoke, glancing down at the device. The dot was there, in the center of town. Feeling a bit weary, Rubik began walking along the edge of the cliff, looking for a way down.


	2. Into town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rubik finally makes his way into town. Along the way, they make a new friend in the form of Mac. They seem friendly.

Rubik slowly inched along the cliff edge, carefully placing one foot after the other on the skinny path. They could see that just up ahead that the cliff stretched forward, turning from a sheer cliff to more of a ramp. As they walked, small rocks dislodged from the cliff side and tumbled to the ground. Eventually, Rubik reached the ramp, but before they could start heading down, a squeaky voice piped up.

"What'ca doing?" The voice said, Drawing Rubik's attention. About halfway up the ramp, Holding onto a string, was a small creature. were they always there? Rubik didn't remember. When looking at the creature, It somewhat reminded Rubik of them. The figure wore a simple red shirt and black pants, and they seemed to not really be paying attention to Rubik.

"Didn't know anyone still went into the forest." The figure said. "I'm really the only one who goes close, so you've gotta be a complete nut to actually go in."

Rubik stared for a bit, surprised by the whole situation. Here was another inhabitant of this planet, this one being able to speak.

"Uh...Hello..there...." Rubik responded, Their voice still slow and raspy. "Just....exploring."

The person nodded. "And just like that, I know you're not from around here. If you were, you'd know there's not much reason to go in there. Nothing that interesting is out there, unless you really, really like trees. What were you doing in there, anyway?" The person pulled the rope, which Rubik followed up to reveal a strange diamond-shaped piece of...paper. Yes, that's what that was made of.

"Crashed." Rubik responded, beginning to walk towards the person.

"'Crashed?' What are you, some sorta hack-job pilot?" The person responded, taking a step forward to allow Rubik to pass. Rubik slowly passed by, keeping an eye on the paper diamond floating in the sky.

the person finally looked over at who'd they been talking to, and their jaw dropped open. "Whoa...what are you?" The person asked, reeling in the diamond and beginning to follow alongside.

"Rubik." Rubik responded, continuing toward the town.

"Rubik, huh? Kinda like a...nevermind. The name's Mac. You sure are a strange one. Got a weird thing on your chest, too. Is that a gem? Don't think I've ever seen someone with skin that shade of green either!...You're not dying are you? I don't think I'd be strong enough to carry you if you collapse."

Rubik paused, looking down at their hands. Their skin wasn't a normal color? "Not...normal?"

"Yeah, at least not for around here. If you're going into town, it'd be best not to draw attention to yourself. Hm...Oh! There's a place not to far where people dump their trash. We might be able to find some clothes for ya there!" The person took off, racing down the ramp with their diamond under their arm. Rubik watched them go, before quickly following.

This one seems to know what they're doing. Rubik thought as they quickly raced around the edge of town and down a side trail through the thick grass. The grass eventually gave way to space trees and shrubs, before clearing up to just short grass. at the end, in a large crater in the ground, were piles upon piles of trash. 

The crater went deep, with wooden stairs leading down. Garbage littered the crater, with piles rising high into the air. Mac ran between the piles, shuffling through them. Rubik stood on the bottom stair, watching the small person dart around. Eventually, Mac returned, something held in their arms. 

"Here, these are a bit dirty, but they should fit you." Mac handed over the bundle, and Rubik took it gingerly. They unfolded the bundle, revealing a white shirt, and a large dark-colored jacket, black pants, and a crumpled dark-green wide-brimmed hat. 

Rubik slipped off his satchel and quickly changed into the clothes, then slipped the satchel back over their clothes. Hey, Mac was right, the clothes fit pretty well. Mac stood back, then walked slowly around Rubik. "Huh. That actually looks pretty good on you. Most people probably won't notice you now, or at least think you're just another homeless guy."

Mac walked past Rubik, back up the stairs, and gestured for Rubik to follow. Rubik began walking back up the stairs, but before they could get far, the stairs beneath them exploded, sending them tumbling to the ground. Rubik quickly stood, just in time to see a yellow-colored creature disappear underground.Rubik could hear Mac's voice, but wasn't focusing on that. Rubik's instincts kicked in, and they slowly shuffled their feet, feeling for vibrations in the ground. After a few seconds, the ground began to rumble violently, and Rubik quickly darted to the side and spun around, just in time to see the creature burst out of the ground. It was long and thin, It's body tapering off to a point at one end. The creature landed and faced Rubik, revealing a mouth at the other end, filled with razor-sharp teeth. The creature hissed, and the teeth in it's mouth rotated violently as it did. The creature slithered toward Rubik for a few seconds before diving back underground. Rubik reached back into his bag, looking for the rod, but couldn't find it. Were they too anxious to focus on it? Rubik turned and ran, trying to split their focus between the monster and the satchel. Rubik was suddenly knocked to the ground, the monster hissing and spitting as it lunged at Rubik's neck. They struggled for a bit, and Rubik was finally able to push the beast off and watch it dive back under the ground. 

Rubik stood, again trying to focus on the vibrations in the ground, when something came flying past him.

"Shit, sorry! You look like you could use a hand, use that!" Mac shouted from the top of the crater. Rubik quickly bent down and picked up the object now embedded in the dirt.

The object was rather short, and made of plastic and metal. Sticking out of the plastic was a small blade, a little shorter than the handle. The blade glinted in the sunlight, and was a light blue color. Rubik turned to the center of the crater, held the blade in front of him, and continued to listen for vibrations. Instead, Rubik heard a yelp, and turned back to the crater edge just in time to watch Mac come tumbling down the side, The creature following. Rubik sprang from where they stood, soaring over Mac and slamming into the monster. Rubik was a blur, whirling around and slashing at every part of the monster's body with the small weapon. Mac collected themselves, watching the green person slicing and dicing. Finally, the monster vanished in a puff of smoke, a small pyramid-shaped gem dropping to the ground.

Rubik landed, then slowly reached down and picked up the gem. They slipped the gem into the satchel, then walked back to Mac and handed the weapon back. Mac took it, closed it, and pocketed it. "Thank...you..." Rubik grumbled.

"Hey, no problem. But, hey...that thing, it had a gem somewhere on it, right? I saw it drop. So, does that mean you're...?" Mac fell silent, staring up at the green figure. When Rubik didn't respond, he continued. "Well, you see, there's this thing online...You know what? follow me, I'll explain along the way. Plus, we'll get a better signal in town." Mac scrambled back up the (now broken) wooden stairs, stepping wide over the hole the creature left. Rubik followed, listening to Mac as they walked.

"So, there's this website online. It's called twitter. On it, there's this user. The username is long, so most people just call him 'Steven.' Steven's got these weird friends, he calls them 'Gems.' They're weird, with like strange colored skin and large gemstones embedded in parts of their bodies. No one really believes that they're real, thinking it's some sorta REALLY dedicated art project. I wasn't sure what to think of it, but look at you! You fit the mold for them!" Mac explained as they walked, dropping down small dips and and climbing over felled trees as they walked back up the path. Rubik copied their movements, dipping and vaulting as they walked. It was starting to get dark out.

"You've got everything they have! Well, almost everything. You've got off-colored skin, a gem seemingly stuck in your body, and weapon expertise! My dinky little pocketknife was dull, but you cut that thing to ribbons. When we get into town I'll DM him. Not saying he'll respond, but we'll see. Oh, we're here." Mac gestured, and Rubik can to a skidding halt behind him. 

Rubik looked around, taking in the sights. The town was larger up close, but not by much. Buildings looked to be between one and three floors, with some having bright neon signs attached to them. The bright lights contrasted against the pastel grays and browns of the buildings. Mac and Rubik slowly walked through the town, Rubik reading every sign and looking at every person that passed. Mac pulled a small, rectangular device from their pocket, pressing a button on it. Their fingers flew across the device as Mac spoke up again.

"I think the best way to prove to him that I'm not lying would have to be a picture. Mind if I take one?" Mac held up the device to Rubik, but before Mac could press another button, a voice called out.

"Hey, kid!" The voice shouted. Mac and Rubik turned, looking in the direction the voice came from. Rubik saw it was another person, standing just a bit below Rubik's head. They wore dark blue, with a star-shaped badge clipped to their chest. "Kid, stop!"

"Uh oh. Gotta go, Rubik. I'll see ya around, ok? Just try not to die!" Mac took off down the sidewalk, the man in blue quickly chasing after them. Rubik watched them go and disappear around a corner.

Rubik stood on the sidewalk, all alone.


	3. Weapon get!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rubik spends the night in Heronsville, meeting the locals. Not all of them are friendly.

Rubik stood on the sidewalk, staring down the road where they're friend ran off. The sun finally disappeared over the horizon, and Rubik was left standing under a streetlight. Rubik took a slow step forward, then another one. Where were they going? It had to be somewhere important, as they were starting to move with urgency. They ran through the streets, passing by the few people who were still out that night. When they finally stopped running, they found themselves in a small park, a small patch of grass dotted with trees. When Rubik looked around, they appeared to be in the heart of the town. Around them, different buildings appeared to be closing and opening. On a corner, a bright neon sign flicked on. 

"...The....starlight..bar....." Rubik read out loud, eyes fixated on the sign. Starlight...sounded interesting. Rubik slowly approached, and opened the door.

Once Rubik stepped inside, their senses were assaulted on all sides. The smell in the room burned their nose, the sound of laughter and clinking glass filled the air. Rubik made their way through the round tables, eventually taking a seat at the furthest table in the back. People came in and out of the bar, and for a while not many people paid Rubik much mind. However, after a while, people began to take notice of the strange green-clothed man in the corner of the bar. The bar turned from raunchy laughter to subtle whispers as people eyed the figure. Rubik, for their part, didn't notice the shift in tone in the room, continuing to stare around the room and take in the many posters on the walls. Eventually, the bar had become silent except for a few drunks. these drunks, seeing their favorite bar becoming tense, decided to do something about it. Three drunks stood and approached the green figure, cracking knuckles and reaching for weapons.

"Heeeey, man. You're...You're ruinin the vibe here, maaan. We're gon-we're gonna ask ya to leave." The leader said, sitting down next to the green figure.

Rubik stared at the man, the scent coming off the man's breath burning their nose. "You...smell awful...." Rubik said, standing.

"W-what was'zat? You insultin me!? And all I-I-I did was ask ya to leave. You're mean." The drunk said, standing as well.

Rubik pushed past the man, but the man reached out and grabbed Rubik's arm, twisting it. "Hey, you shouuuld apologize! di-didn't your mamma ever teachya manners?" The drunk said, starting to pull Rubik to the exit.

Rubik stood their ground, watching the drunk go from leading, to tugging, to pulling, then yanking on their arm. Even when the drunk's friends started to push from behind, Rubik couldn't be moved. Eventually the drunks gave up, falling onto a nearby table panting and sweating. Rubik walked over to them, leaning over to look at the lead drunk in the face. 

"...sorry...." Rubik said plainly, before turning to leave. They got a few steps before they felt something cold and metal press into their back.

"Lhiiiiisten here, bucko....We're gon-gonna go outside and settle this, got it!? Keep walkin...." The lead drunk said, slurring his speech, but the threat was obvious.

People began to stand and freak out as the group of 4 walked out. As Rubik walked, people would give the group a wide space, and a few people commented that they'd "Never get away with this" and "He's just some tourist, it's not worth it!" Rubik didn't understand, but continued to walk regardless.

After a while, they stepped outside, and the group led them to a alleyway next to the building. When Rubik finally turned and looked at the drunk, they saw that the person was holding a weapon. It was silver, with a long barrel pointing towards Rubik. It reminded them of a cannon barrel, but smaller. In fact, while looking at it, Rubik was sure they could make a similar shape with their fingers. As the drunk rambled off about things Rubik didn't care about, Rubik stuck their hand out stuck their thumb and pointer finger out. The drunk stopped, then burst out laughing.

"Well, lookie here! The boy'sh made a finger gun! Well, why-why don't you take a...a shot!" The drunk lowered their weapon, and spread their arms, snickering.

Rubik didn't understand, but while staring at the "gun," Rubik felt a tug in their chest. Rubik reached for their chest to scratch it, but their hand went right through the clothes and into their chest, white light glowing around their hand. Rubik's hand grasped around something, and they gave a small tug. Almost instantly, Rubik's hand pulled out a green-tinted version of the gun the drunk was holding. The drunk's snickering slowed, then the main drunk whipped the gun back towards Rubik.

"H-hey, don't try anything! I'm-I'm not afraid to shoot ya, ya know?!" The drunk took a step forward, trying to steady his aim.

Rubik took a step forward as well, mimicking the drunk. They continued to approach each other, until both of them were pressing the barrel of the gun against the forehead of the other. The drunk's voice quivered as they spoke.

"W-w-what's up with ya!? You actually gonna shoot me!? Well, I won't let-"

The gun in the drunk's hand went off, letting out a deafening *BANG!* The blast from the gun was so strong it knocked Rubik's hat clean off.

The drunk quickly sobered after the gun fired, and with the sobering came better vision. The now-sober man stared at Rubik, looking straight through the hole they had blown threw the green man's head. Dark blue liquid slowly seeped from the wound, dripping to the ground in quiet splats. Then, like something out of a horror movie, the hole quickly repaired itself. That's when the man noticed the eyes. Along with having a normal set of eyes, the green-skinned man had at least three other sets, and they were all rapidly opening and closing. The man heard loud clicking, and glanced down to see a hole in the man's shirt, revealing a green plus-shaped object stuck in their chest, rotating rapidly. The man dropped the gun, screamed, then ran out of the alley, trailed by their friends.

Rubik stood in the now empty alley for a while, then slowly lowered their weapon. How did they make the weapon? Rubik tried putting the gun back in their gem, and it easily returned to their chest. Rubik raised a hand and placed it against the once-open bullet wound. It was sealed now, but it still worried them. It didn't hurt, but sure scared them. Rubik slowly retrieved their hat, left the alley, and returned to the park. They pulled the scanner device out and pulled up the map. On it, the dot they'd been looking for was right on top of them. Rubik looked down, tilting their head. This was the spot? There was nothing there! Rubik groaned, flopping down on the ground. With nothing better to do, Rubik sat there for the rest of the night.

\-------------------------------------------

When the sun rose, Rubik finally stood from the ground. They began to aimlessly walk the streets, just looking for something to do. Eventually, Rubik found their way back out to the edge of town. As they walked, someone grabbed them and jerked them down towards a sewer pipe. Rubik went for their weapon, but stopped once they saw who it was.

"Hey, dude!" Said Mac cheerfully. "How was your first night?"

"....decent..." Rubik responded, shuffling in the cramped space.

Mac nodded, pulling out the rectangular device. "Glad to hear. The town's night life can be a bit rough if you aren't expecting it. Anyway, I've been texting this Steven guy. He seems to believe me, I just need to send a picture. Pose!" Mac swung the device towards Rubik, and after a brief flash returned to their device.

"There," he said, "this should do it. aaaaaaand send!" A little electronic beep echoed in the tunnel, then Mac turned the device off. "I'll check it later, for now I wanna try some things with ya. I wanna see what you can do!" Mac rose from the ground, then walked out of the sewer pipe. Rubik quickly stood and followed.

The duo walked back to the garbage dump, and when they arrived Rubik noticed that several barrels and tables had been set up, with bottles and cans set up on some. Mac walked down into the pit, gesturing and talking.

"So, I went back through some of the videos Steven posted, and most of the gems in them get their weapons by pulling them out of their gem. So, I've set up some items here for you to test your weapon out. I'll film it as well, so we can send it to Steven. So, go wild!" Mac pointed towards the piled items. a smile plastered on their face as they pulled the device back out.

Rubik turned, and faced the targets. Summoning a weapon...they'd done that before. In one swift motion, they reached into their gem and pulled out the gun they had made. They aimed the weapon at one of the cans and pulled the trigger. With a loud bang, the gun fired a bullet of glowing blue energy. The bullet zoomed in on the target, impacting it with a loud crack. However, instead of breaking it or going through it, the can became covered in a semi-translucent crystal-like substance. It looked like the substance had exploded out of the can, freezing mid-air. Rubik fired the gun a few more times at the other cans, causing a similar effect with each can/bottle. 

Mac recorded on his phone, finding himself getting more and more excited. This was an actual gem! With cool space powers and crazy weapons! Mac was curious what other things this gem could do. "Hey, Rubik, I was curious. Have you met any other gems?" Mac asked, walking over and examining the cans.

Rubik gave Mac a blank stare, before walking over to Mac and pulling out the two gems they'd fought. Mac stared at the gems, then back up at Rubik. "Uh...did the red one attack you too?"

"....Yes..." Rubik responded, slipping the gems back into the satchel. 

"Hm...You told me you crashed. Did you meet any other gems before that?" Mac asked as he approached the shot cans. 

Rubik was silent for a while. "...I....don't..know....Don't..remember....much..." They eventually responded. 

Mac shook their head. "Aw, man. Guess that crash knocked ya around a lot. If you came out of, like, a ship, there might be others you might've missed. Mind if we go check it out?"

Rubik nodded, then the duo set out again, heading into the woods and searching for the crash site. After a hour or so of searching, they came across the site. Except, it was a bit different. There was a crater, but no ship. Rubik walked around the perimeter of the crater, looking for clues, but there were none. Just a hole and disappointment.

"Well....It was.....Here..." Rubik said, kicking a rock into the crater. Mac shrugged his shoulders, moving over and standing next to Rubik.

"Well, this at least proves that it did exist. A hole like this isn't natural. I guess this was a bit of a bust. Wanna go back? Maybe Steven's responded." Mac kicked a rock into the hole as well.

Rubik took a step, pulling the scanner device out again as they walked back to town. Mac eyed the device with great curiosity. "What is that?" Mac asked.

"....scanner....Of some...sort..." Rubik responded, trying out a few other buttons on the device. Despite their attempts, the screen still depicted just the dots.

"Huh. Something tells me you have no idea what it's scanning for?" Mac asked, and when Rubik nodded, he continued. "Well, have you discovered where the closest dot is?"

"...Underground....Haven't...found...a way to...it.." Rubik said, ducking under a branch. 

"hmm....Have you tried just digging down? Couldn't be that far down." Mac said, pushing through a particularly thick bush.

Rubik thought for a second, then a large smile formed over their face. Without a word, Rubik took off towards town. Mac, not wanting to be left behind, attempted to follow behind them. Mac hesitated a bit before entering into town, but finally decided to just go with it and continued to follow. Rubik ran to the park, and began digging with their hands. Mac stood next to them, panic beginning to slowly set in.

"Uh, Rubik? Is...THIS the spot your scanner showed? Look, I know what I said earlier, but...Look, there are certain rules here that you shouldn't break, and uprooting a entire park isn't exactly gonna put you in anyone's good-books." Mac spoke as he watched Rubik rapidly drill down into the earth. A small crowd was beginning to form, and Mac was beginning to think about just ditching Rubik here and let them deal with the problem. But, before he could leave, the ground around Rubik suddenly dipped down, then finally crumbled. The crowd rushed forward to the edge of the hole, and Mac saw that the ground had collapsed the ceiling of a stone room, covered in intricate carvings of strange figures. Mac recognized some of it as art depicting the great diamond authority, thanks to the videos on Steven's twitter. Mac watched as Rubik stepped forward, and toward a large blue platform. Mac also recognized the platform as a warp pad. Rubik stepped up onto the pad, and leaned down, pressing a hand against the pad. Before Mac could call out, Rubik was engulfed in a flash of light, the light flying up into the sky and dissipating.

Mac stared up at the space where the light vanished. "Well...shit. This is gonna be a problem." Mac said out loud. Where in the world had Rubik gone?


	4. Beachside reside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven contacts Mac to confirm a few things. Meanwhile, Rubik finds himself in a strange new location.

Steven walked along the beach by the temple, studying the picture and video Mac had sent them. When Steven first heard from Mac, he was skeptical. Others had made similar claims, and Steven had gotten used to just ignoring them. However, when Mac sent a picture, and then eventually a video, Steven became inclined to believe him. Mac had sent a phone number, and Steven decided that now would be a good time to call. The phone rang for a bit, and Mac finally picked up.

"H-hey, Steven, right? It's Mac. What's up?"

"Hey Mac, yeah it's me, Steven. I was curious, what can you tell me about this gem? Anything they've told you, whether important or not. That could help us decide if they're friendly or...not."

Mac was silent for a second. "Well...They actually haven't spoken much. When they do, their voice is raspy, like someone who smoked a pack a day. If they speak for a while, their voice clears up, but they still speak very slowly, as if each word is a struggle. From what they've told me, and from what I've gathered, they aren't from around here. Crashed whatever ship they came in on, but the ship's gone now. Kinda worried about that, as they showed me where the crash site was. They also don't seem to remember anything before the crash. Seems they got some sort of amnesia."

Steven thought for a bit before responding. "Huh. well, we've dealt with amnesia before. Not sure if we can fix it as easily as we did it before." Steven remembered the fiasco with Spinel, which caused him to feel a pang of guilt in his chest. He hadn't seen Spinel in a couple weeks. He wondered if she was okay.

"I'd ask, but something tells me it's kinda a long story." Mac said, chuckling.

Steven chuckled a bit as well. "Yeah, it'd take a while. Oh, give me a second." Steven put his hand over the phone and looked up. Quickly crossing the sand and approaching him were Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet.

"Hey Steven!" Amethyst said, walking over and leaning against him. "You talkin to Connie?"

"Oh, no, not her. You remember that Mac guy i told you about? Finally called him." Steven responded, holding the phone up and giving it a shake.

Amethyst looked between Steven and the phone, before getting close and blowing a raspberry into the phone. Steven pulled the phone back, glaring at Amethyst as she laughed.

"Sorry about that, that was Amethyst." Steven said, continuing to glare but not being able to suppress the smile forming on his face.

"Yeah, I figured. Seems to be something she would do, considering the vids you've posted." Mac responded, and Steven could hear him chuckling as well.

"Amethyst!" Pearl squawked. "Don't do that to people who are on the phone!"

"Relax, P!" Amethyst said. "I'm sure Mac is a cool guy and doesn't care."

"Still, it's best to not do things like that to people on the phone, Amethyst." Garnet said, adjusting her glasses. 

"Awww, you're no fun." Amethyst said, pushing off of Steven. "Anyway, we're going back to the temple, we'll see ya later, yeah?"

Steven nodded, and the trio of gems walked off towards the temple, and Steven watched them go. After they vanished inside, Steven brought the phone back up to his face. "Sorry about that, just talking to the gems. What were we talking about again?"

"We were talking about Rubik." Mac responded. "And before you ask, no, I don't know why they call themselves that."

"Yeah, I know we were talking about them. What specifically?" Steven scratched his head. "Oh, wait no, I remember. Yeah, no, I might not be able to help recover their memories, but I would still like to meet them. Maybe they're some sort of escapee from Homeworld? They're weapon is nothing like I've ever seen, so maybe they're a first generation gem. The diamonds might have a good idea..."

As Steven and Mac continued to share ideas, there was a sudden sound of shattering glass, coming from the temple.

\-------------------------

When the light vanished from around Rubik, they found themselves in a room. Around the platform, there was stone, like a cave. In front of them, the stone cave gave way to wood, looking like a room. Rubik slowly stepped into the room, glancing around. To the right, there were sofas and a staircase leading up. In front of them was a door and windows, showing a beautiful scene of white and blue. To the left, there is what looked like a kitchen. there were bar stools around a counter top, and what looked like kitchen supplies. Sitting on top of the counter was a large silver device. Rubik approached it, leaning over and onto the counter and staring at it. Rubik could see their reflection in the shiny grey metal. Upon getting closer, they saw there was two slots in the top of the device, with a strange lip off to the side. Rubik pressed the lip, and with a bit of force they pushed the lip down. It stuck at the bottom, and after a minute or so, it popped back up with a loud ding. Rubik was fascinated by this, and pressed the lip down again, then again, and again. They chuckled to themselves, finding the action fascinating. As Rubik continued to press the lip, they heard voices coming from outside the room.

".......so after that, we should do some more training." The voice got close, and Rubik watched out of the corner of their eye as the door opened and a slim figure stepped through. "I'd be good just in caaaaaaaaase!" Their voice turned into a shrill shriek, and as they began to freak out, two other figures stepped through, one taller and one shorter than the first person.

"who are you!?" The tall one asked. Rubik stared at the three, quickly realizing they were gems. 

As Rubik ran their eyes over the gems on the gems in front of them, words popped up in his head. "hm....A pearl...A amethyst...ruby and sapphire...no, a...garnet..." Rubik slowly grumbled, continuing to fiddle with the machine. "...what...is this....device..?"

"uh...a toaster?" The amethyst responded, but the pearl stepped forward, pulling a spear from her gem.

"Stand back, Amethyst! We don't know who this is!" The pearl said, pointing the spear towards Rubik. As she spoke, the tall one, the garnet, stepped forward and rested a hand on the pearl's shoulder.

"Calm down Pearl. I don't think they're hostile." the Garnet said, turning her head to the amethyst. "Amethyst, you're good with people. Try talking to them."

Amethyst glanced between Garnet and the intruder, sighed, then walked over to Rubik. She pulled a bar stool up, and leaned over the counter to face the green gem. "Hey, man. The name's Amethyst. Uh....What's yours?" She asked, ignoring Pearl's facepalm.

"....Rubik...." Rubik responded, turning their attention back to the toaster. 

"Rubik? Like, the cube? That's actually pretty cool. So, uh...where'd you come from? You a Homeworld gem?"

Rubik gave the purple gem a blank look. "Homeworld...?" Rubik snapped upright with a loud cracking sound. "No, that....sounds somewhat familiar."

Rubik stepped away from the counter, pressing a hand to their face, looking at the other gems. "What...What is Homeworld? How do I....know about it..."

Pearl and Garnet glanced at each other, then back at Rubik. "You...don't remember?" Pearl asked, holding her spear close to her chest.

Rubik let out a small wail, the nodded. "I..don't remember much....from before the...crash.."

Before the gems could press further, Rubik's satchel began to shake. Rubik slowly reached into it, and pulled out the red gem. The other gems gasped, but just as they pulled their weapons, the gem glowed and re-formed. The wolf-like beast began to rampage around the room, knocking things over and tearing up the furniture. Amethyst and Garnet advanced on the wolf-like gem, and Pearl advanced on Rubik.

"Okay, you have a LOT of explaining to do. Why do you have a corrupted gem on you!?" Pearl snarled, pointing her spear towards the green gem.

Rubik put their hands up, stepping back against the counter. "H-hey, please...I believe...there's a miss...understanding...." As Rubik bumped into the counter top, they felt their satchel begin to shake.

Rubik kicked the satchel, and as they did, the yellow monster leaped from the bag. Before it got far, however, Rubik grabbed it by it's tail and slammed it hard into the ground. Rubik gave a glance up at Pearl, then grappled the monster, reaching for their weapon. The monster hissed and thrashed, but Rubik's grip was strong. They pulled out the gun, but as they did Rubik watched as the weapon changed. The crystal-like substance quickly shot out of the barrel, spreading out on the weapon. The weapon grew into a long pole, and in a small flash of light a sharp point appeared on the end. Rubik examined the spear, then violently stabbed the spearhead down. The gem monster let out one last hiss, then fell limp. After that, it poofed into a cloud of smoke. Rubik scooped up the gem as they stood. They tossed the gem to Pearl, who dropped their spear to catch the gem. Rubik glanced past her and at the other gems, seeing that the wolf gem was giving Garnet and Amethyst a bit of trouble. Every time they swung at it, it would dodge or snap at them. Rubik glanced back at Pearl, who was trying to pick up their weapon without looking away from Rubik.

"....Move..." Rubik said, then quickly darted past Pearl. Pearl tried to swing at them as they passed, but Rubik easily dodged. 

They ran towards the monster, brandishing the spear. The gems stopped, trying to decide how to deal with the new threat. However, they were surprised when the green gem ran past them. As the wolf monster turned to face the new foe, it didn't have any time to react as Rubik threw themselves at it, crashing trough the window behind them.

\------------------------------------------------------

Steven turned, just in time to see a swirling mass of green and red crash trough the front window of the beach house. The mass tumbled down the side of the house, then down the cliff side, then down to the beach. Steven quickly brought the phone back up to his head. 

"Hey, uh, do you know where Rubik is, Mac?" Steven asked, watching the carnage.

"uh...sadly, not. they found one of those warp pads underground in our town and used it. They could be anywhere." Mac responded.

"Ah. Hey, uh, I'll call you back in a bit. Gem stuff is happening." Steven said, quickly hanging up.

The swirling mass finally stopped rolling, but continued to thrash around in the sand. Steven ignored Mac's questioning, running over and summoning their shield. However, as he approached, he saw the green figure throw the red one down, Then stabbing the red wolf-like figure through the chest.. The wolf howled in pain, then poofed into a cloud of dust. Steven looked on as the green figure panted heavily, their body bleeding a dark blue liquid from several slashes on their body. Steven also saw that on the ground, next to where the spear stuck out of the sand, was a small cylindrical red gem. The green figure reached town and picked it up, examining it. In a flash of light, the spear vanished, kicking up a small could of sand. Steven took a hesitant step forward, and the green figure's head snapped in his direction. Steven watched as the figure approached, several sets of eyes on the figure's face lazily blink open and closed. Steven took a step back, raising their shield. When the figure was right in front of Steven, they locked eyes.

"You're...You're a gem." Steven said, finally seeing the plus-shaped gem poking out of a hole in the shirt of the figure. The tall figure continued to stare.

They stood there, staring at each other silently. The figure finally raised it's hand, extending it toward Steven. In it's hand was the red gem. "....take..it..." It spoke, it's voice slow and raspy.

Steven lowered their shield, then hesitantly took the gem. He stared at the red gem, bubbled it, then back up at the figure. "You're Rubik, aren't you?" He asked.

the green gem smiled, revealing small sharp fangs. Before anything else could happen, a spear landing right next to Rubik. Rubik turned and let out a yelp, diving to the side as another spear stabbed into the sand. The crystal gems were quickly descending down the beach, rapidly approaching the two.

"Steven!" Pearl shouted. "Get away from them! There's something not right with them!"

Rubik turned to the crystal gems, snarling. "...If you....won't listen...then...fine!" Rubik summoned their weapon again, this time it was back to the gun. 

The gems advanced, Steven trying to get between them. "H-hold on, I don't think they're evil! There must be a logical explanation for this!"

Pearl shook her head. "They had more corrupted gems on them, but we GOT all the corrupted gems. This doesn't make any sense!" Pearl hoisted another spear. "They also appear to be out of it, so maybe being poofed will give them a clear conscious."

Steven could see that not Pearl didn't believe what she was saying. "Listen, I feel like we can resolve this peacefully. I already know their name, it's Rubik, so already we should be able t-" Steven was interrupted by a loud gunshot.

They all looked back up, just in time for Pearl to be knocked to the ground. Pearl attempted to get up, but found herself being stuck to the ground. She looked at her arm, only to see a large crystal-like growth weighing her down. She struck at the crystal, and it slowly chipped away. They all looked back up at Rubik, who had a surprised look on their face. 

"...huh, that's...what it does...to people...was kinda.....worried..." Rubik mumbled to themselves, aiming at Amethyst.

They fired again, encasing the purple gem in crystal as well. Garnet began to run towards Rubik, but it only took two shots to incapacitate her, her gauntlets sinking deep into the sand. Rubik approached the no-retrained gems, examining them. 

"...are you...willing..to talk now?" they asked, leaning down and getting face-to-face with Pearl. Pearl didn't make eye contact, but nodded.

Rubik smiled, then got down next to Pearl, and began using their hands to crack and tear apart the crystal holding her down. Pearl watched for a second, sighed, pulled a spear from her gem and began doing the same thing. Steven ran over, and used their shield to begin chipping away at Garnet's crystal restraints. After a while, the crystal around pearl's arm completely shattered, and she pulled her hand close. Rubik stood up to move to Amethyst, but as they turned, Pearl swung their spear at them. Rubik tried to turn and catch it, but instead the spear acted like a blade, cutting right through their arm and cutting it off. Rubik howled in pain, clutching their arm stump as dark blue blood spurted from the wound. They collapsed to one knee, continuing to scream and yowl in agony. As they screamed, the crystal came rolling off of Amethyst and Garnet like waves, flowing to Rubik and creating a wall between Rubik and Pearl. Then, more of the crystal substance seemed to flow out of Rubik's gem, building up and forming a dome over the crystal gems, trapping them. Rubik slowly staggered to their feet, breathing heavily. They glared up at the gems, then turned and began walking down the beach and towards Beach City. 

Pearl watched on, blue blood dripping down her face. Steven watched Rubik walk off, trailing blood behind them, then turned to Pearl. "What...was that for?"

Pearl didn't respond, just stared forward at the slowly shrinking figure. "I...I thought that'd poof him...I thought they might still have been hostile." Pearl slowly reached a hand up, wiping blood from their face.

"Well, they certainly are NOW, P." Amethyst said, starting to strike the crystals around them. "For now, let's just get out of here."

The gems began hacking away at the crystals, but it would be several hours before they made enough progress and escape the crystalline prison. Once they escaped, Steven re-dialed Mac.

"Hey, Mac." Steven said. "I found Rubik."


End file.
